"A faithful sequel."

Tony Hawk. Tony Hawk 3. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Those words will be used a lot from now on, seeing as how much this game rules. So you better get used to them, because this is one game you won't easily forget.

Gameplay: Basically, the most important thing to a game is it's gameplay. And with the whole Tony Hawk game series, it has been great. The gameplay is the heart of this game and it’s the thing you’ll be craving when you’re not playing it. Grinding, manualling, flip-tricking, grab-tricking, reverting, then doing it all over again could never be funner. This is the one that refines the series. Like with the other games in the series, you’ll pause and retry a lot. With other games you’ll just get tired of constantly messing up, but with this one it’s fun to keep trying.

Controls: The controls here are just like in parts one and two, easy to learn and super responsive. Once you get into the flow of the game, you'll almost never have to look down at the controller again (besides to admire it's beauty). Both the Analog stick and the D-pad are usable for movement, so that's a plus. I use the Analog stick, because I think the D-pad is too small. But, they are both just as responsive, so it's ok. Every button is easy to reach, and they are in the equivalent places as they were in the first two games. The controls are great.

Graphics: The graphics for this game are sweet. Everything that should be smooth is smooth. Unlike the other games in the series, this one is not blocky at all. The characters, especially the hidden ones, look awesome. There are also many different types of clothes to choose from, and everyone is as detailed as the next. Bails are better than ever as well. New ones where you roll on the rail or get hurt in the special place look pretty realistic. The bloodstains stay through a few rounds, but they aren’t impressive. The only thing that isn’t the easiest on the eyes is the videos. There are plenty to watch, and some are funny, but the quality just isn’t nearly as close to videocassette quality.

Sound: The soundtrack for this sequel is probably my favorite of the series. It features a mix of mostly rock and hip-hop; with people like Alien Ant Farm, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Xzibit, Redman, and more. The sound effects are good too. Nothing special, but there are voices. For some of the game goals, hearing a man's voice will help you figure out where to go. And in the competitions, you can hear people clapping in the background when you do good and booing when you do bad. All of those little things help make the game better.

Overall: One thing you’ll notice is that this game is quite short. You’ll be able to beat it within a day or two. But, it has tons of replay value since there is a lot to unlock and to create. The park editor is a huge step up from Tony Hawk 2. They’ve made raising and lowering a lot simpler (just one button), they’ve made it bigger then before, and they’ve included many pieces to mess around with. You’ll spend many hours creating parks of your dreams. Then, there’s the create-a-skater feature. This is very deep and very fun. When you’re done with that, you can then play the two-player mode with your friends, which is awesome. It has a few more modes too, but they're nothing special. The greatest aspect of the two-player mode is that they’ve included every part of the levels as in the one player game. I’m happy about that, because they used to cut off parts, and make them exclusive to one player mode. All in all, this game is fun. If you are a fan of the series, you'll love it.